- 1. Leadership perspective on planning and tackling bureaucracy.
AHDS March 2014
2. Challenges and tensions for school leaders Gate Keeping
Meeting Learning Needs Ensuring the Entitlements are met Providing
evidence and confidence in the system to and for all stakeholders
Ensuring professional trust is embedded Moving from a written to a
dialogue led approach 3. Gate Keeping Leaders need to ensure they
make a well considered judgement on any initiative, asking "will
this have a positive impact on the children in the school?" If not
say no! Ensuring you remain firm on your school priorities and that
you are prepared to negotiate more realistic timescales and formats
for returns etc. 4. Meeting Learner Needs Ensuring IEP/ASPs are in
place and up dated- making sure these are evaluated and that
teachers are able to discuss and evidence the progress and the
planning. This should remain a priority to meet legislative
requirements. Ensure responsibilities are understood by all, if
necessary revisiting during CPD. Ensuring that all learning is
based on the core Learning Intention and that there is progress
planned from these. Ensuring that there are high quality learning
experiences in all classes. Tailor feedback to a more manageable
and focused discussion with a short minute for example. Focus and
targeted use of resources, including deployment of support staff.
5. Meeting the entitlements and providing evidence which creates
confidence for all stakeholders Leaders need to be confident they
are providing a coherent curriculum which is broad, progressive,
planned in partnership with others involved in learning and builds
on prior learning. What do you already have and what can you do to
support? Increasing opportunity for dialogue will be key to
teachers having the confidence to articulate their plans and the
children being able to describe their learning to others. Capturing
this learning in sharing sessions for parents/carers, for example,
and having a focus on discussion with external and internal
evaluators, rather than paper based evidence. Creating an
environment for dialogue, for example stage partners having NCCT
together. Meaningful transitions need to be focused on discussion
about learners and their needs and by using smart evidence- using
everything which is already in place. 6. Ensuring professional
trust is embedded Working time agreements need to allow leaders to
participate in discussions during moderated planning and evaluation
sessions. Children should be able to articulate their learning, and
learning conversations in classes should also provide the teachers
with the evidence they need to build their own confidence in
learning and teaching. Leaders should take information from
teachers and build their understanding and knowledge about learning
from this. Agreeing a focus for learning conversations for example.
7. Learning how to have effective dialogue Children- self and peer
evaluation of learning based on good learning intentions, feedback
from teachers, support staff, SMT, understanding their personal
targets, a clear value placed on pupil voice and participation
embedded in the school. Staff- understanding the learning within
the Es and Os, learning conversations within classes, ongoing
assessment and evaluation of tasks and pupil's work, discussion
with colleagues and partner agencies around standards and targets,
feedback and professional discussions with SMT, self reflection.
Parents/Carers - flexible approaches to giving parents information,
open discussions with teachers formally and informally, awareness
of expectations and planned learning, creative engagement around
learning outcomes for example children leading social events where
they share learning. External Evaluation - based on the schools
information, understanding the context of the school can affect
capacity to gather written evidence , accepting evidence in a
flexible/ varied format, seeking a holistic view of the school from
a wide range of audience,set the minority view in a realistic
context. 8. ......and finally! Know the rationale for your own
school improvement is about improving outcomes for the children,
and ensure it is not overtaken by other agendas. Engage with others
and ensure all partners take responsibility, delegate when
necessary. Retain a sense of humour and develop some key phrases to
help you. "Thank you for your request, we have considered this and
will get back to you at a time when we would find this useful." " I
have added this request to my priority list, you will appreciate
the school must focus on its own agreed priorities." Talk regularly
to other leaders- know you are not alone in trying to make this
work.
